The present invention relates to a device for converting rotary motion to a rectilinear force.
Eccentrically unbalanced rotating devices have been used in the past to impact rectilinear movement to an object. However, the prior art devices of this type have used an external restraint to bias the effect of the unbalanced force to generate movement in a particular direction rather than biasing the force itself. Typical of these devices is Dull, U.S. Pat. No. 2,639,777, where the biasing force is friction created by the wheels of a car.
As a result the prior art devices of this class are necessarily limited to an environment where restraining means can be applied to prevent movement in all but the desired direction. This limitation is undesirable in many applications, however, it is most noticeable in a free space application.
In addition the prior art devices are very inefficient as much of the energy generated is dissipated to the restraint.